Ad-hoc disclosure
Deutsche EuroShop: Amendment to the FFO guidance
Deutsche EuroShop AG / Key word(s): Change in Forecast/Legal Matter
23.08.2011 20:49
Dissemination of an Ad hoc announcement according to § 15 WpHG, transmitted
by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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Deutsche EuroShop: Amendment to the FFO guidance
Deutsche EuroShop AG is an asset management holding company that has until
now availed itself of 'extended trade tax deduction' (section 9 para. 1
sentence 2 Gewerbesteuergesetz (GewStG - Trade Tax Act)). This has been the
case for many years and has always been recognised by the tax authorities.
As a result of a ruling by the German Federal Fiscal Court (BFH) published
recently by the German Federal Ministry of Finance on page 367 of Part II
of the Federal Tax Gazette 2011, there is a risk that Deutsche EuroShop AG
may no longer be able to apply the above-mentioned tax treatment in future.
In a case involving a limited company that was involved in a general
partnership, the BFH ruled that the company was not entitled to apply the
extended trade tax deduction in connection with its participation in an
asset-managing real estate partnership. Were the tax authorities to extend
this ruling to Deutsche EuroShop AG, the Company would be subjected to an
unprecedented trade tax burden.
Based on current knowledge, Deutsche EuroShop AG will have to set aside a
provision for trade tax risks in the 2011 financial year of around EUR 6.1
million for the 2011 financial year and the preceding years. This tax
expense will impact on the Company's FFO (funds from operations) to the
tune of around EUR 0.12 per share in the 2011 financial year. The Company
now expects to generate FFO of EUR 1.40-1.44 per share in 2011 in contrast
to the primary forecast of EUR 1.48-1.52, following on from last year's
figure of EUR 1.40.
The Company's satisfactory business performance in 2011 means that the
remaining objectives for the key performance figures revenue, EBIT and EBT
excluding measurement gains/losses remain unchanged.
The Company is maintaining its FFO guidance of EUR 1.60-1.64 per share for
2012 for the time being, as the Company will be investigating alternative
domestic and foreign locations in the coming weeks.
The 2011 measurement gains would also be negatively affected by the trade
tax obligation and deferred tax provisions would need to be increased
significantly. Were Deutsche EuroShop AG's company management to remain in
Hamburg, this would result in an additional, one-off provision of EUR 85-90
million (worst-case scenario) charged to the measurement gains/losses, a
figure that could be reduced to up to EUR 50 million by moving the Group
headquarters to another location in Germany.
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Information and Explaination of the Issuer to this News:
The text of the ruling (German only) can be retrieved on Deutsche
EuroShop's website: http://www.deutsche-euroshop.de/des/pages/index/p/344
23.08.2011 DGAP's Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,
Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de
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Language: English
Company: Deutsche EuroShop AG
Oderfelder Straße 23
20149 Hamburg
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)40 413 579-0
Fax: +49 (0)40 413 579-29
E-mail: ir@deutsche-euroshop.de
Internet: www.deutsche-euroshop.de
ISIN: DE0007480204
WKN: 748020
Indices: MDAX
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München, Stuttgart
End of Announcement DGAP News-Service
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